Lafayette Lady

The other day I told you about a woman I watched from across busy Washington Street in Buffalo NY.  I stood in the warmth of a vestibule in a classy downtown office building, and she stood outside, unprotected  from the brutal, icy, Buffalo winds except for the roof over the entrance way of a once proud hotel.   Not frequenting Buffalo on a regular basis any more, it had been years since I really paid attention to the hotel which was once considered one of the 15 finest hotels in the United States.  It was sad to notice the shabby, run-down exterior, drapes askew in the huge, tall windows, and the abject overall look of pure neglect of both the hotel and its inhabitants.  I did some Googling when I got home and found that the hotel served at that time as one-room temporary housing for some of Buffalo's citizens who survive under the wing of social services.

That bit of information explained the people who wandered through those doors.  What I found interesting is that my Lafayette Lady did a lot of walking in and out of the hotel doors.  Was she getting warm?  Was she calling for a ride?  Was she re-checking a bus schedule?  I'll never know, but she must have gone back inside at least ten times during the time I watched her.  While outside, she would constantly rummage through that giant "purse" of hers - moving things into her hands, foraging, looking, checking.  She had a smile and greeting for everyone who walked by or entered the hotel.  I marveled at the joy and the happiness she exuded when she had human contact with another of her hotel-mates.  Apparently she didn't need to be warm to be happy, or dressed in the current style, or even have matching socks.  What seemed to make her happy was the number of friends she appeared to have and the pleasant exchanges she had with each of them.  No matter that she didn't have hat, scarf, gloves or warm duds - her warmth obviously was carried inside and was refueled with each greeting.

Interestingly, I started my wait at the door with the situation that took me to that building weighing heavily on my shoulders. By the time my ride came, I had a much different and lighter perspective about the outcome of that issue.  I believe there is nothing by chance and that this Lafayette Lady was sent for me to observe and, more importantly, to learn from.

The Hotel has been closed to these people now, sold to a contractor who placed it on the Register of Historic Places and is renovating--bringing her back to her old glory.  I can only hope that in the process, some residual memory of my Lafayette Lady will remain in the marble walls and spectacular floors of this grand building and that others will, certainly not by chance, be afforded an opportunity to learn some of life's valuable lessons by Angels Unaware who may appear before them, just as she did for me.